Controller gestures in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (xR) applications

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of systems and methods for providing controller gestures in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality (xR) applications are described. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the IHS to: receive one or more first Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) landmarks corresponding to a first controller; receive one or more second SLAM landmarks corresponding to a second controller; determine, using the first and second SLAM landmarks, that the first controller is within a threshold distance of the second controller; in response to the determination, receive first Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data from the first controller and second IMU data from the second controller; identify, using the first and second IMU data, a gesture performed with the first and second controllers; and execute a command associated with the gesture.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to Information Handling Systems(IHSs), and, more particularly, to systems and methods for providingcontroller gestures in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality (xR)applications.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continue to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store it. One optionavailable to users is Information Handling Systems (IHSs). An IHSgenerally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates informationor data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing usersto take advantage of the value of the information. Because technologyand information handling needs and requirements vary between differentusers or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information ishandled, how the information is handled, how much information isprocessed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently theinformation may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations inIHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user orspecific use such as financial transaction processing, airlinereservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. Inaddition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software componentsthat may be configured to process, store, and communicate informationand may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, andnetworking systems.

IHSs may be used to produce virtual, augmented, or mixed reality (xR)applications. The goal of virtual reality (VR) is to immerse users invirtual environments. A conventional VR device obscures a user'sreal-world surroundings, such that only digitally-generated imagesremain visible. In contrast, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality(MR) operate by overlaying digitally-generated content or entities(e.g., characters, text, hyperlinks, images, graphics, etc.) upon theuser's real-world, physical surroundings. A typical AR/MR deviceincludes a projection-based optical system that displays content on atranslucent or transparent surface of an HMD, heads-up display (HUD),eyeglasses, or the like (collectively “HMDs”).

In various implementations, HMDs may be tethered to an external or hostIHS. Most HMDs do not have as much processing capability as the hostIHS, so the host IHS is used to generate the digital images to bedisplayed by the HMD. The HMD transmits information to the host IHSregarding the state of the user, which in turn enables the host IHS todetermine which image or frame to show to the user next, and from whichperspective, as the user moves in space.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of systems and methods for providing controller gestures invirtual, augmented, or mixed reality (xR) applications are described. Inan illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an Information Handling System(IHS) may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution,cause the IHS to: receive one or more first Simultaneous Localizationand Mapping (SLAM) landmarks corresponding to a first controller;receive one or more second SLAM landmarks corresponding to a secondcontroller; determine, using the first and second SLAM landmarks, thatthe first controller is within a threshold distance of the secondcontroller; in response to the determination, receive first InertialMeasurement Unit (IMU) data from the first controller and second IMUdata from the second controller; identify, using the first and secondIMU data, a gesture performed with the first and second controllers; andexecute a command associated with the gesture.

In some implementations, the first and second SLAM landmarks may bereceived from a Head-Mounted Device (HMD) worn by a user. In otherimplementations, the first SLAM landmarks may be received from a firstHead-Mounted Device (HMD) worn by a first user and the second SLAMlandmarks may be received from a second HMD worn by a second user. Thefirst and second IMU data may include accelerometer data indicative ofan impulse or collision, and the gesture may include a tapping gesture.Moreover, the tapping gesture may be detected in the absence of aphysical collision between the first and second controllers.

In some cases, the program instructions, upon execution, may cause theIHS to identify the tapping gesture as a vertical tap or a horizontaltap. In response to the gesture being detected in a left side of a SLAMframe, the command may be a first command, wherein in response to thegesture being detected in a center area of the SLAM frame, the commandmay be a second command, or in response to the gesture being detected ina right side of a SLAM frame, the command may be a third command.

For example, the command may include switching tools between the firstand second controllers in a game. Additionally, or alternatively,command may include switching tools or characters in a game between afirst user operating the first controller and a second user operatingthe second controller. Additionally, or alternatively, the command mayinclude a pause command or a resume command directed to a game orapplication executed by the IHS.

The program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the IHS todetermine whether the peripheral belongs to the user's left hand orright hand. To determine whether the peripheral device belongs to theuser's left hand or right hand, the program instructions, uponexecution, may cause the IHS to: split a Field-of-View (FOV) into a leftside and a right side; and at least one of: in response to the one ormore landmarks being located on the left side, assign the peripheraldevice to the user's left hand; or in response to the one or morelandmarks being located on the right side, assign the peripheral deviceto the user's right hand.

Furthermore, the program instructions, upon execution, may cause the IHSto determine whether the second controller belongs to a first user or toa second user based upon an evaluation of the Kalman Gain of the otherone or more SLAM landmarks.

In another illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a hardware memorydevice may have program instructions stored thereon that, upon executionby a processor of an IHS, cause the IHS to: receive one or more firstSLAM landmarks corresponding to a first controller; receive one or moresecond SLAM landmarks corresponding to a second controller; determine,using the first and second SLAM landmarks, that the first controller iswithin a threshold distance of the second controller; in response to thedetermination, receive first IMU data from the first controller andsecond IMU data from the second controller; identify, using the firstand second IMU data, a gesture performed with the first and secondcontrollers; and execute a command associated with the gesture.

In various implementations, the first SLAM landmarks may be receivedfrom a first HMD worn by a first user, and the second SLAM landmarks maybe received from a second HMD worn by a second user. The first IMU datamay also include accelerometer data produced by a third HMD worn by athird user, and the first and third HMDs may be in communication witheach other.

In yet another illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a method mayinclude receiving, at an IHS, first SLAM landmarks corresponding to afirst controller; receiving, at the IHS, second SLAM landmarkscorresponding to a second controller; identifying, by the IHS using: (i)the first SLAM landmarks, (ii) the second SLAM landmarks, (iii) thefirst IMU data, and (iv) the second IMU data, a gesture performed withthe first and second controllers; and executing, by the IHS, a commandassociated with the gesture.

The first SLAM landmarks may be received from a first HMD worn by afirst user and the second SLAM landmarks may be received from a secondHMD worn by a second user. The first and second SLAM landmarks mayinclude location data indicative of a position of the first and secondcontrollers, respectively, and the first and second IMU data compriseaccelerometer data indicative of a simulated tap between the first andsecond controllers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention(s) is/are illustrated by way of example and is/arenot limited by the accompanying figures. Elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity, and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale.

FIGS. 1A-C illustrate an example of an environment where a virtual,augmented, or mixed reality (xR) application may be executed, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of electronic components of a Head-MountedDisplay (HMD), according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of electronic components of an InformationHandling System (IHS), according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of logic components of an xR application,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a method for providing controllergestures, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a system for enabling controllergestures, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 7A-C illustrate an example of a controller gesture, according tosome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein may be implemented, for example, invirtual, augmented, or mixed reality (xR) applications that employHead-Mounted Devices (HMDs), Heads-Up Displays (HUDs), headsets, andeyeglasses—collectively referred to as “HMDs.” More broadly, however,embodiments described herein may also be implemented in non-HMDenvironments, such as in gaming consoles, conferencing rooms,televisions, projectors, desktop, and/or laptop computers—equipped withtracking subsystems.

In various implementations, xR HMDs may be paired with controllers (orother peripheral devices) and it is common for a controller to haveinfrared (IR) emitter(s) or marker reflector(s). These controllerstypically have buttons and/or joysticks for providing input viaBluetooth or other communication channel to a host system (e.g., anInformation Handling System or “IHS”), and are usually tracked byexternal lighthouse and/or HMD tracking cameras. In many instances, acontroller may be equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) tomeasure the direction and change of position of the controller in theuser's space.

For gaming and commercial applications, such as education and training,xR systems can make use of either a single controller or two (e.g., onecontroller in each of a user's hand). In use, these controllers may beassigned a task or represent a specific operation or artifact (e.g., ina game, a controller may represent a sword, a hammer, etc.), and eachcontroller may operate independently as part of an xR application. Insome cases, such as when mimicking a bow and arrow, for example,artifacts represented by the individual controllers are used togetherwithin the application to represent a two-controller operation, such asthe simulated shooting of a bow (e.g., represented by a first controlleron the user's left hand) and arrow (e.g., represented by a secondcontroller on the user's right hand).

In many situations, controllers may not have a specific function or setof functions outside of an xR application or environment: the user mustenter the immersive xR environment (e.g., by donning a headset), andthen he or she generally requires some assistance to use thecontrollers. Multiple buttons to input on each controller can also beconfusing for the user. To address these, and other concerns, theinventors hereof have developed systems and methods for defining a setof “gestures” or motions to interact with the system. A more robust setof gestures may be provided with the use case of two controllersoperating in tandem and by detecting the motion in closest proximityrepresenting physical contact (e.g., tapping) of the controllers to eachother.

In some embodiments, a service may detect that two controllers arewithin a predefined physical contact distance of each other. Inresponse, the service listens to the IMU streams from the twocontrollers to detect movement data that indicates tapping. Eachdifferent tap is then translated into a pre-defined or user-definedcontroller gesture, for instance, based upon the orientation of eachcontroller and the area of the frame where the tapping happens.Different types of controller-gestures may be used for many differentkinds of user inputs, such as, for example, a switching operation ortools used in a game between left and right controller in a game orapplication, a pausing operation (timeout) in the game or application, aresuming operation in the game or application, etc.

In other embodiments, systems and methods described herein may beemployed in co-located multi-user use cases where controllers for eachuser in a session are enumerated and tracked by each HMD trackingsubsystem. Tapping between two or more different users' controllers maybe detected based on their respective IMU data, once identified withintapping distance.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of environment 100A where an xRapplication is executed. As illustrated, user 101 wears HMD 102 aroundhis or her head and over his or her eyes. In this non-limiting example,HMD 102 is tethered to host Information Handling System (IHS) 103 via awired or wireless connection. In some cases, host IHS 103 may be builtinto (or otherwise coupled to) a backpack or vest, wearable by user 101.

In various applications, two or more users may be in the sameenvironment or room 100A such that their respective HMDs may be said tobe co-located. For example, co-located HMDs may be within a predefinedphysical distance from each other (e.g., up to 10 meters), and each HMDworn by each user may be coupled to a distinct IHS. In some cases, theIHS serving a particular HMD may be part of an edge cloud architecture.

In environment 100A, the xR application may include a subset ofcomponents or objects operated by HMD 102 and another subset ofcomponents or objects operated by host IHS 103. Particularly, host IHS103 may be used to generate digital images to be displayed by HMD 102.HMD 102 transmits information to host IHS 103 regarding the state ofuser 101, such as physical position, pose or head orientation, gazefocus, etc., which in turn enables host IHS 103 to determine which imageor frame to display to the user next, and from which perspective.

As user 101 moves about environment 100A, changes in: (i) physicallocation (e.g., Euclidian or Cartesian coordinates x, y, and z) ortranslation; and/or (ii) orientation (e.g., pitch, yaw, and roll) orrotation, cause host IHS 103 to effect a corresponding change in thepicture or symbols displayed to user 101 via HMD 102, in the form of oneor more rendered video frames.

Movement of the user's head and gaze may be detected by HMD 102 andprocessed by host IHS 103, for example, to render video frames thatmaintain visual congruence with the outside world and/or to allow user101 to look around a consistent virtual reality environment. In somecases, xR application components executed by HMD 102 and IHS 103 mayprovide a cooperative, at least partially shared, xR environment among aplurality of users. For example, each user may wear their own HMDtethered to a different host IHS, such as in the form of a video game ora productivity application (e.g., a virtual meeting).

Today, most HMD 102's processing is limited and restricted to someamount of pre-processing, with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping(SLAM) camera frames being sent to IHS 103 for further processing. Datatransmitted from HMD 102 to IHS 103 is said to be transmitted over“back-channel” 409 (FIG. 4) whereas data transmitted from IHS 103 to HMD102 is said to be transmitted over “forward-channel” 410.

FIG. 1B shows a co-located multi-user xR implementation with threeparticipants 101A-C, each participant wearing their own HMDs 102A-C. Insome cases, each of HMDs 102A-C may be tethered to its own dedicated IHS103A-C. Alternatively, a first number M of HMDs and a second number N ofIHSs may be used (e.g., one IHS “server” for two HMD “clients,” etc.).In this example, it is assumed that each of the IHSs may have differentcompute capabilities; and that all HMDs are using inside-out ExtendedKalman Filtering (EKF) Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)tracking, with wide mapping field of view up to 360 degrees (e.g., withsurround sensors and/or cameras).

In distributed SLAM, co-located client nodes perform SLAMcollaboratively to create a map (a “SLAM map”) of their shared physicalspace. For example, multiple HMDs may be co-located in a given space,and their supporting IHSs may be either co-located or part of an edgecloud architecture. In various implementations, distributed SLAMrequires that client nodes exchange information with other client nodesvia communication channels that are lossy and/or band-limited.

As such, each HMD 102A-C may include an instance of inside-out camera108 configured to capture IR/NIR frames, and therefore sends thoseframes and associated data (SLAM data) to its respective IHS 103A-C.Then, each IHS 103A-C determines one or more Regions-of-Interest (ROIs)111A-C within the HMD 102A-C's respectively captured frames and/orfield-of-view (FOV), and performs one or more SLAM operations upon theSLAM data obtained for each ROI. In some cases, an ROI may be equal toan FOV plus a delta 3D range for anticipatory movements.

Depending upon the position and pose of each HMD, ROI intersection area112 may occur, for example, such that redundant or duplicatecalculations are performed by HMDs 102A-C for landmarks found in thatintersection.

FIG. 1C shows HMD client nodes 102A-M connected wired/wirelessly in amesh ad-hoc network architecture to IHS server nodes 103A-N. In somearchitectures, one of IHS nodes 103A-N (e.g., the first node to startthe xR collaboration session) may be responsible for session controlactions, but otherwise the network may remain without a central server.Additionally, or alternatively, remote edge server 103C and/or remotecloud server 103N may enable co-located IHSs 103A and 103B (with respectto HMDs 102A-M) to offload xR processing and/or additional operations toit, as part of an edge cloud architecture, or the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of electronic components of HMD 102. Insome embodiments, HMD 102 comprises a projection system that includesprojector 204 configured to display image frames, including stereoscopicright and left images, on right and left displays 203R and 203L that areviewed by a user right and left eyes 101R and 101L, respectively. Such aprojection system may include, for example, a Digital Light Processing(DLP), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or the like. To create athree-dimensional (3D) effect in a 3D virtual view, virtual objects(VOs) may be rendered at different depths or distances in the twoimages.

HMD 102 includes processor 205 configured to generate frames that aredisplayed by projector 204. Hardware memory 207 is configured to storeprogram instructions executable by processor 205, as well as other data.In other embodiments, however one or more operations described forprocessor 205 may be implemented by a different processor within IHS103.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, HMD 102 may also include controlinterface 208 and video interface 209 (e.g., a Bluetooth technologyinterface, USB interface, etc.) configured to communicate with IHS 103.Control interface 208 may provide forward and backward communicationchannels between HMD 102 and IHS 103, depending upon the architecture ofthe xR system, to facilitate execution of an xR application. Forexample, program instructions stored in memory 207, when executed byprocessor 205, may cause frames captured by camera(s) 108 to betransmitted to IHS 103 via control interface 208.

IHS 103 may in turn execute SLAM module 403 (FIG. 4), for example, basedupon landmarks found in the video frames received from camera 108.Particularly, SLAM module 403 may be configured to implement trackingtechniques that use distinctive visual characteristics of the physicalenvironment to identify specific images or shapes which are then usableto calculate HMD 102's position and orientation. Then, rendering engine406 (FIG. 4) may use data from SLAM module 403 to render an image to beprovided to projector 204 via video interface 209 (e.g., High-DefinitionMultimedia Interface or “HDMI,” Digital Visual Interface or “DVI,”DISPLAYPORT, etc.). In some cases, video interface 209 may include twoseparate video interfaces, one for each display 203R/L. Additionally, oralternatively, a single interface that supports multi-stream may be usedto drive both displays 203R/L.

In some embodiments, HMD 102 may include one or more sensors 206 thatcollect information about the user's environment (e.g., video, depth,lighting, motion, etc.) and provide that information to processor 205.Sensors 206 may include, but are not limited to, inside-out cameras,outside-in cameras, eye tracking cameras, RGB cameras, gesture cameras,infrared (IR) or near-IR (NIR) cameras, SLAM cameras, etc. Additionally,or alternatively, sensors 206 may include electric, magnetic, radio,optical, infrared, thermal, force, pressure, acoustic, ultrasonic,proximity, position, deformation, movement, velocity, rotation,gyroscopic, and/or acceleration sensor(s). In some cases, sensors 206may be coupled to processor 205 via a sensor hub.

HMD 102 may be configured to render and display frames to provide an xRview for user 101 according to inputs from sensors 206. For example, anxR view may include renderings of the user's real-world environmentbased on video captured by camera 108. The xR view may also includevirtual objects composited with the projected view of the user's realenvironment.

Still referring to FIG. 2, right and left Near Infra-Red (NIR) lightsources 201R and 201L (e.g., NIR LEDs) may be positioned in HMD 102 toilluminate the user's eyes 101R and 101L, respectively. Mirrors 201R and201L (e.g., “hot mirrors”) may be positioned to direct NIR lightreflected from eyes 101R and 101L into EGT cameras 202R and 202L locatedon each side of the user's face. In other implementations, instead ofEGT cameras 202R and 202L, a single EGT camera, or a combination of awide-angle camera with and a narrower-angle camera, may be used.

EGT information captured by cameras 202R and 202L may be provided toprocessor 205 to be further processed and/or analyzed. For example,processor 205 may adjust the rendering of images to be projected, and/orit may adjust the projection of the images by the projector 204 based onthe direction and angle at which eyes 101R/L are looking. Additionally,or alternatively, processor 205 may estimate the point of gaze on rightand left displays 203R and 203L to enable gaze-based interaction with xRcontent shown on those displays.

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentalityor aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate,determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate,switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record,reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, ordata for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example,an IHS may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tabletcomputer, mobile device (e.g., Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or smartphone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storagedevice, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape,performance, functionality, and price. An IHS may include Random AccessMemory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a CentralProcessing Unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, Read-OnlyMemory (ROM), and/or other types of nonvolatile memory.

Additional components of an IHS may include one or more disk drives, oneor more network ports for communicating with external devices as well asvarious I/O devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen, and/or avideo display. An IHS may also include one or more buses operable totransmit communications between the various hardware components. Anexample of an IHS is described in more detail below.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of IHS 300 configured to implement host IHS103, according to certain embodiments. As shown, IHS 300 may include oneor more processors 301. In various implementations, IHS 300 may be asingle-processor system including one processor 301, or amulti-processor system including two or more processors 301.Processor(s) 301 may include any processor capable of executing programinstructions, such as an Intel Pentium™ series processor or anygeneral-purpose or embedded processors having any of a variety ofInstruction Set Architectures (ISAs), such as the x86, POWERPC®, ARM®,SPARC®, or MIPS® ISAs, or any other suitable ISA.

IHS 300 includes chipset 302 that may include one or more integratedcircuits that are connect to processor(s) 301. In certain embodiments,chipset 302 may utilize QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) bus 303 forcommunicating with the processor(s) 301. Chipset 302 provides theprocessor(s) 301 with access to a variety of resources. For instance,chipset 302 provides access to system memory 305 over memory bus 304.System memory 305 may be configured to store program instructions and/ordata accessible by processors(s) 301. In various embodiments, systemmemory 305 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, suchas static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) or nonvolatile/Flash-typememory.

Chipset 302 may also provide access to graphics processor 307. Incertain embodiments, graphics processor 307 may be comprised within oneor more video or graphics cards that have been installed as componentsof IHS 300. Graphics processor 307 may be coupled to the chipset 302 viaa graphics bus 306 such as provided by an Accelerated Graphics Port(AGP) bus or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus. Incertain embodiments, graphics processor 307 generates display signalsand provides them to HMD device 102 via video interface 204.

In certain embodiments, chipset 302 may also provide access to one ormore user input devices 311. In such embodiments, chipset 302 may becoupled to a super I/O controller 310 that provides interfaces for avariety of user input devices 311, in particular lower bandwidth and lowdata rate devices. For instance, super I/O controller 310 may provideaccess to a keyboard and mouse or other peripheral input devices. Incertain embodiments, super I/O controller 310 may be used to interfacewith coupled user input devices 311 such as keypads, biometric scanningdevices, and voice or optical recognition devices, through wired orwireless connections. In certain embodiments, chipset 302 may be coupledto the super I/O controller 310 via a Low Pin-Count (LPC) bus 313.

Other resources may also be coupled to the processor(s) 301 of IHS 300through the chipset 302. In certain embodiments, chipset 302 may becoupled to a network interface 309, such as provided by a NetworkInterface Controller (NIC) that is coupled to IHS 300. In certainembodiments, the network interface 309 may be coupled to the chipset 302via a PCIe bus 312. According to various embodiments, network interface309 may support communication via various wired and/or wirelessnetworks. In certain embodiments, the chipset 302 may also provideaccess to one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports 316; which insome implementations may serve as transport for establishing controlinterface 203 with HMD 102.

Chipset 302 also provides access to one or more solid-state storagedevices 315. The chipset 302 utilizes a PCIe bus interface connection318 in order to communicate with the solid-state storage device 315. Incertain embodiments, chipset 302 may also provide access to other typesof storage devices. For instance, in addition to the solid-state storagedevice 315, an IHS 300 may also utilize one or more magnetic diskstorage devices, or other types of the storage devices such as anoptical drive or a removable-media drive. In various embodiments, thesolid-state storage device 315 may be integral to IHS 300, or may belocated remotely from IHS 300.

Another resource that may be accessed by processor(s) 301 via chipset302 is a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) 317. As described in moredetail below with respect to additional embodiments, upon powering orrestarting IHS 300, processor(s) 301 may utilize BIOS 317 instructionsto initialize and test hardware components coupled to IHS 300 and toload an operating system for use by IHS 300. BIOS 317 provides anabstraction layer that allows the operating system to interface withcertain hardware components that are utilized by IHS 300. Via thishardware abstraction layer provided by BIOS 317, the software executedby the processor(s) 301 of IHS 300 is able to interface with certain I/Odevices that are coupled to IHS 300. As used herein, the term “BIOS” isintended to also encompass Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).

In various embodiments, HMD 102 and/or host IHS 103 may not include eachof the components shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. Additionally, oralternatively, HMD 102 and/or host IHS 103 may include variouscomponents in addition to those that are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.Furthermore, some components that are represented as separate componentsin FIGS. 2 and 3 may, in some embodiments, be integrated with othercomponents. For example, in various implementations, all or a portion ofthe functionality provided by the illustrated components may instead beprovided by components integrated into the one or more processor(s) as asystem-on-a-chip (SOC) or the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates logic components 400 of xR application 401.Generally, xR application 401 may include any xR application nowexisting or yet to be developed, including, but not limited to:entertainment, video games, robotics, healthcare, education andtraining, military uses, occupational safety, engineering, industrial orproduct design, collaboration applications, virtual meetings, etc.

Distributed SLAM module 403 uses positional tracking devices amongcamera(s) and sensor(s) 202 (e.g., in the IR spectrum) to construct amap of an unknown environment where an HMD is located, whichsimultaneously identifies where the HMD is located, its orientation,and/or pose.

Generally, distributed SLAM module 403 may include a propagationcomponent, a feature extraction component, a mapping component, and anupdate component. The propagation component may receive angular velocityand accelerometer data from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) builtinto HMD 102, for example, and it may use that data to produce a new HMDposition and/or pose estimation. A camera (e.g., a depth-sensing camera)may provide video frames to the feature extraction component, whichextracts useful image features (e.g., using thresholding, blobextraction, template matching, etc.), and generates a descriptor foreach feature. These features, also referred to as “landmarks,” are thenfed to the mapping component.

The mapping component may be configured to create and extend a map, asHMD 102 moves in space. Landmarks may also be sent to the updatecomponent, which updates the map with the newly detected feature pointsand corrects errors introduced by the propagation component. Moreover,the update component may compare the features to the existing map suchthat, if the detected features already exist in the map, the HMD'scurrent position may be determined from known map points.

To enable positional tracking for SLAM purposes, HMD 102 may usewireless, inertial, acoustic, or optical sensors among sensor(s) 202.And, in many embodiments, each different SLAM method may use a differentpositional tracking source or device. For example, wireless tracking mayuse a set of anchors or lighthouses 107A-B that are placed around theperimeter of environment 100A and/or one or more peripheral devices 106(e.g., controllers, joysticks, etc.) or tags 110 that are tracked; suchthat HMD 102 triangulates its position and/or state using thoseelements. Inertial tracking may use data from an accelerometer and/orgyroscope within HMD 102 to find a velocity (e.g., m/s) and position ofHMD 102 relative to some initial point. Acoustic tracking may useultrasonic sensors to determine the position of HMD 102 by measuringtime-of-arrival and/or phase coherence of transmitted and received soundwaves.

Optical tracking may include any suitable computer vision algorithm andtracking device, such as a camera of visible (RGB), IR, or NIR range, astereo camera, and/or a depth camera. With inside-out tracking usingmarkers, for example, camera 108 may be embedded in HMD 102, andinfrared markers 107A-B or tag 110 may be placed in known stationarylocations. With outside-in tracking, camera 105 may be placed in astationary location and infrared markers may be placed on HMD 102 orheld by user 101. In other cases, markerless inside-out tracking may usecontinuous searches and feature extraction techniques from video framesobtained by camera 108 (e.g., using visual odometry) to find naturalvisual landmarks (e.g., window 109) in environment 100A.

An estimator, such as an Extended Kalman filter (EKF), may be used forhandling the propagation component of an inside-out SLAM method. A mapmay be generated as a vector stacking sensors and landmarks states,modeled by a Gaussian variable. The map may be maintained usingpredictions (e.g., when HMD 102 moves) and/or corrections (e.g., camera108 observes landmarks in the environment that have been previouslymapped). In other cases, a map of environment 100A may be obtained, atleast in part, from cloud 104.

For example, HMD 102 may capture IR/NIR frames (e.g., from camera 108),perform image pre-processing operations, generate object detection oflandmarks using feature extraction techniques, and send SLAM data (e.g.,pixel values for each pixel in the ROI, along with IR/NIR frame data,coordinates of detected landmarks, etc.) to host IHS 103. Host IHS 103may perform EKF operations for each detected landmark and it maycalculate a Kalman Gain (G) for each landmark (L), which in turnindicates a confidence or probability of the landmark's measuredlocation being accurate.

In some cases, the consumption of IHS 103's hardware resources (e.g.,CPU, GPU, memory, etc.) during operation of a SLAM method may bedependent upon the order or dimension of a square covariance matrix oflandmark data (or other features extracted from sensor data).Particularly, IHS hardware resource utilization may be dominated byO(M²), where M is the number of landmarks detected: if M* is smallerthan M, then host hardware utilization is reduced by (M²−M*2)/M²×100%.For example, if there are 100 landmarks detected (M=100), but only 50landmarks are used (M=50), the reduction in utilization may be of 75%.

In various embodiments, distributed SLAM module 403 may be configured tosort or rank detected landmarks by confidence, probability, or priority;generate a cutoff based upon a desired or expected amount of resourceutilization reduction (e.g., compute load) using calibration data; andemploy only a selected subset of all available landmarks (e.g., the M*highest-ranked of M landmarks to be used; M*<M) to generate covariancematrices to be used by the SLAM method thereafter.

In some embodiments, calibration of number of landmarks versus averageCPU load (or any other IHS hardware resource) may be performed for thespace where the user is engaging in an xR experience, and a calibrationcurve may be stored in database 402. The calibration curve provides abaseline for the space and the HMD-Host combination; but it should benoted that the process is specific to an HMD, the host IHS being used,and their environment. Calibration may also be used to select an optimalnumber M of sorted landmarks to use in steady state as the maximumnumber of landmarks to compute (e.g., a user may set the maximumpermitted CPU load for SLAM at 10%, which limits the number of landmarksto 50).

Distributed SLAM module 403 may receive and rank all landmarks detectedby HMD 102A (and other HMDs 102B-C and/or their respective IHSs), forexample, using EKF. Particularly, EKF may be used to estimate thecurrent state of a system based on a previous state, currentobservations, and estimated noise or error. A state is defined as a 1×Nvector, where N is the number of measurements in a state. The primaryrelationship for an EKF defines a state transition as:(New State)=(Old State)+G((Current Observation)−(Old State))

where G is known as the Kalman Gain. The value of G is based on averagenoise and/or measurement error over time, and it determines how much thecurrent observation can be trusted.

The system state in an EKF for SLAM may be a 1×(6+3N) vector, where N isthe number of landmarks. In that case, there may be 3 coordinates (e.g.,x, y, z) for each landmark, and 6 coordinates (e.g., x, y, z, pitch,roll, yaw) for the user. Landmarks may be any static points in spacethat can be re-observed at a later state to determine how the systemchanged (a good landmark is easily identifiable and does not move, suchas a wall, window, power outlet, etc.).

In various implementations, a matrix or table of size (6+3N)² stores thecovariance between every pair of state measurements, and may be usedwhen determining the Kalman Gain for a given landmark. The Kalman Gainmay be used to determine how much to change every other statemeasurement based on the re-observed location of a single landmark: agreater Kalman Gain means that the landmark's new position may betrusted and used to update the system's state. Conversely, a Kalman Gainof zero means the position cannot be at all trusted and therefore thelandmark should be ignored.

The use of EKF by distributed SLAM module 403 may be divided into 3parts. The first part updates the current state from user movement.Motion may be described by the IMU data on the HMD, and the user'sposition and every known landmark's position may be estimated andupdated. The second part uses re-observed landmarks via laser scanner orobject recognition to update current state (both user position andlandmark positions) more accurately than using IMU data, calculates Gfor the re-observed landmark, and updates the system accordingly. Asnoted above, G may be a vector showing how much to update every statevariable based on the landmark's new position. The third part addsnewly-observed landmarks to the system's state. Adding new landmarksadds to the dimensionality of the system state and covariance matrix,such that the algorithm runs on the order of O(N²), where N is thenumber of used landmarks.

To rank the landmarks, distributed SLAM module 403 may create a list oflandmarks indices, sort the landmark indices by the Kalman Gain ofcorresponding landmarks, and produce a ranked or sorted list of alldetected landmarks. Distributed SLAM module 403 may select a subset oflandmarks, and IHS 103 produces an xR environment displayed by HMD 102based on SLAM processing using only the selected subset of landmarks.

Gesture recognition module 404 may also use one or more cameras oroptical sensors 202 that enable user 101 to use their actual hands forinteraction with virtual objects (VOs) rendered by display 205 withinHMD 102. For example, gesture recognition module 404 may be configuredto implement hand tracking and gesture recognition in a 3-D space via auser-facing 2-D camera. In some cases, gesture recognition module 404may track a selectable number of degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of motion,with depth information, to recognize dynamic hand gestures (e.g.,swipes, clicking, tapping, grab and release, etc.) usable to control orotherwise interact with xR application 401.

Gaze tracking module 405 may use an inward-facing projector, configuredto create a pattern of infrared or (near-infrared) light on the user'seyes, and an inward-facing camera configured to take high-frame-rateimages of the eyes and their reflection patterns; which are then used tocalculate the user's eye's position and gaze focus or point. In somecases, gaze tracking module 405 may be configured to identify adirection, extent, and/or speed of movement of the user's eyes inreal-time, during execution of an xR application (e.g., a gaze vector).In addition, gaze tracking module 405 may be configured to calculate aregion-of-interest of configurable size or shape (e.g., circular,rectangular, etc.), based in part upon the gaze vector.

In various implementations, gaze tracking module 405 may use, amongcamera(s) and/or sensor(s) 202, NIR light sources to produce glints onthe surface of the cornea of the user's eye, and then it may captureimages of the eye region using an inward-facing camera. Gaze trackingmodule 405 may estimate the user's gaze from the relative movementbetween the pupil center and glint positions. Particularly, an eyeand/or gaze tracking algorithm may perform corneal reflection-basedcalculations that use NIR illumination to estimate the gaze direction orthe point of gaze using polynomial functions, or a geometrical model ofthe human eye.

Gaze tracking module 405 may perform any of a plurality of different EGTmethods. For example, in two-dimensional (2D) regression-based EGTmethods, a vector between the pupil center and a corneal glint may bemapped to corresponding gaze coordinates on the frontal screen using apolynomial transformation function. Conversely, three-dimensional(3D)-based EGT methods may use a geometrical model of the human eye toestimate the center of the cornea, optical and visual axes of the eye,and to estimate the gaze coordinates as points of intersection where thevisual axes meets the scene.

As such, gaze tracking module 405 may be configured to follow the user'sgaze direction for natural exploration of a visual scene by capturingthe user's visual perspective. In some cases, pupil motion may betracked to estimate a user's viewing point, with Kalman filtering tominimize pupil jitter and drifts. Moreover, gaze tracking module 405 maybe used to calculate or adjust the user's field-of-view (FOV).

Rendering engine 406 may include any engine (e.g., UNITY, UNREAL,AUTODESK, etc.) configured to render an xR model displayed by HMD 102from user 101's unique point-of-view based upon the user's coordinatelocation (e.g., from distributed SLAM module 403), the user's pose(e.g., IMU), and/or the user's gaze (e.g., from gaze tracking module405). Display driver 407 is coupled to rendering engine 406 andconfigured to convert rendered video frames to a display format that HMD102 can reproduce before the user's' eyes.

Object tracking and recognition module 408 may implement any objectidentification or detection technique based on visual images, including,but not limited to: edge detection, corner detection, blob detection,ridge detection, or the like. In some cases, object tracking andrecognition module 408 may operate with distributed SLAM module 403 totrack the position or movement of objects using landmarks or the like.

Database 402 may include if/then rules with real-world objects and theirlocation, orientation, and/or movement (e.g., angle(s), direction(s),trajector(ies), speed(s), etc.). In some cases, an if/then rule catalogmay be filtered based upon the presence or identification of a masterobject and/or other surrounding, secondary objects in the user's FOV.Database 402 may include different if/then rule catalogs based upon theidentity of an authenticated user, for example, as part of a profile.Additionally, or alternatively, if/then rules may be based upon historiccontinuous usage.

In various embodiments, communication methods described herein may takethe form of server-client streaming with different transport layermechanisms, such as Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) over UserDatagram Protocol (UDP)/Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), or thelike. In some implementations, a service may be provided on IHS 103A to:run SLAM on configured ROIs for two or more HMDs 102A-C; receive ROIframes; and calculate landmark information. The service may also:receive absolute pose information related to the other HMDs, from theirrespective other IHSs; resolve absolute pose coordinates using cameratransform matrix on landmarks received; construct a list of landmarks“observed” by all HMDs; and feed the list into the SLAM ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) of rendering engine 406.

As such, distributed SLAM module 403 of IHS 103A may not only receiveand process SLAM data from that IHS's own HMD 102A, but it may alsoreceive SLAM data from other HMDs 102B/C and/or their respective IHSs,of which one or more may be part of an edge cloud architecture.Rendering engine 406 of IHS 103A may render an updated world spacecamera view for HMD 102A that is built using ROIs/landmarks found by twoor more HMD's IR/NIR camera(s) and/or sensors.

In some embodiments, a method may enable any given one of IHSs 103A-C toconstruct a map for entire space 100A using its own partial map obtainedthrough HMD 102A, and also from HMD 102B and/or 102C and/or theirrespective IHSs. During an initial setup procedure, ROIs andcapabilities may be established through mesh negotiation or othercommunications among HMDs. In some cases, the size and position of eachHMD's ROI—as a selected subset of pixels in a given frame—may becomputed using conventional image processing methods. Each particularHMD 102A-C covers a respective one or more ROIs 111A-C, regardless ofFOV (even assuming 360-degree SLAM). Each IHS may receive ROI landmarkinformation obtained through other HMDs from their respective IHSsthrough IHS-to-IHS communications.

The current IHS (e.g., IHS 103A) may, on a per-HMD basis, resolveoverlapping landmarks across ROIs that have intersections 112, includingocclusion, etc. For example, if a first HMD detects a landmark that isnaturally occluded by another object, from the perspective of a secondHMD, the occluded landmark may nonetheless be used to render a map forthe second HMD, once SLAM data related to the occluded landmark isobtained from the first HMD and transformed into the second HMD'scoordinate system. The current IHS may, on a per-HMD basis, apply acorresponding transform matrix to transform landmarks from one ROIPoint-of-View (POV) to the current HMD POV based on each HMD absoluteand/or the current HMD's pose. Landmarks from HMDs 102B/C may berotated, moved up/down, etc. when moved from one user's view to matchthe view of HMD 102A.

Once overlapping landmarks are resolved, they may be corrected forresolved pose, with observed EKFs and relative distances from each user.This data is available to the current IHS for every HMD with which theIHS is in direct communications. The current IHS communicates an HMD mapto each HMD via an instance of render engine 406 for that HMD (e.g., IHS103 may be running multiple render engines, or a single render enginewith multi-views).

As used herein, the terms “transformation matrix” or “transform matrix”refer to matrices that determine how objects move around in space. Forexample, in some cases a transform matrix may be a 4×4 matrix thatdefines a transformation when applied to objects: translation, rotationand scaling. Translating an object moves it in space, rotating turns anobject around its center, and scaling changes the size of an object. Toapply a transform to a 3D object, such as a VO, every vertex in the 3Dobject may be multiplied by the transformation matrix.

When rendering engine 406 is operating, it needs to know where to placethe “view camera” (i.e., the point of view for the render) in a givenscene, which is done using a view matrix. For example, in some cases aview matrix may be a 4×4 matrix that contains information about theposition and orientation of a viewing camera. Every vertex in the sceneor frame may be multiplied the view matrix and the scene is rendered byHMD 102 (although the view matrix says how everything else in the sceneshould change to reflect the point of view of the camera, the cameraitself does not move).

The inverse of the view matrix is referred to as the camera transformmatrix, which describes how camera 108 itself moves around a scene orframe. That is, the camera transform matrix provides the position androtation of camera 108.

To illustrate the distinction between a transform matrix and a viewmatrix, consider a scene that starts with camera 108 looking directly ata chair that is positioned in front of it. The user then turns thecamera 45 degrees to the right (a). In this case the camera transformmatrix would be a rotation matrix that indicates a 45-degree rotation tothe right. The view matrix, however, would be a rotation matrix thatindicates 45-degree rotation to the left around the camera's position.In another scene, if the user turns to the left and walks forward, thecamera transform matrix would be a rotation matrix to the left followedby a translation matrix forward, which indicates how the user moved inthe frame.

For example, if the user looks to the right (and HMD 102 turns right),the camera transform matrix obtained from SLAM sensor data may include arotation to the right. If the user looks to the left (and HMD 102 turnsleft), the camera transform matrix obtained from SLAM sensor data mayinclude a rotation to the left. If the user looks up (and HMD 102 turnsupward), the camera transform matrix obtained from SLAM sensor data mayinclude a rotation upward. And if the user looks down (and HMD 102 turnsdownward), the camera transform matrix obtained from SLAM sensor datamay include a rotation downward. More generally, rotations around anyaxis may be performed by taking a rotation around the x axis, followedby a rotation around the y axis, and followed by a rotation around the zaxis—such that any spatial rotation can be decomposed into a combinationof principal rotations. Moreover, if HMD 102 moves forward, backward, orsideways, the camera transform matrix obtained from SLAM sensor dataalso reflects the resulting translation.

The term “world space,” for xR application 401, refers to a coordinatesystem that defines where everything is located inside the application.Every object handled by xR application 401 may be given an X, Y and Zcoordinate relative to an origin. Once calibrated, HMD sensors cantransform their sensor data into world space coordinates. Then, whentransform matrices are applied to 3D objects, the objects are movedaround in world space. For instance, world space coordinates may be usedby xR application 401 to overlay virtual hands directly on-top of theuser's real hands.

During execution of xR application 401, HMD 102 transmits SLAM sensordata, EGT sensor data, GRT data, WFC data, audio data, inter-process(IPC) communication data, etc. to IHS 103 via back-channel 409.Meanwhile IHS 103 transmits encoded packetized rendered content (e.g.,audio-video) to HMD 102 via forward-channel 410. As part of thisprocess, distributed SLAM module 403 may perform one or more SLAMoperations based on the SLAM data. In various embodiments, back-channel409 and/or forward-channel 410 may be established via any of edge cloudarchitecture channels with local IHS 103, edge server 113, and/or cloudserver 114.

Distributed SLAM module 403 operates upon SLAM data to produce a map ofthe physical location where the HMD is, using a detected number oflandmarks in a given ROI (e.g., the HMD's FOV+/−a delta). In some cases,landmarks may be identified using IR markers disposed in the physicalspace. Additionally, or alternatively, landmarks in an HMD's ROI may beidentified via object recognition operations, for example, withmarkerless machine learning, using images obtained via a world-facingcamera.

In some embodiments, distributed SLAM module 403 may include pairinginstructions that, upon execution, initiate a pairing process betweenHMD 102 and peripheral device 106 with a pairing code (e.g., analphanumeric string or the like) via IR emitters, and establishes acommunication handshake over a Radio Frequency (RF) communicationchannel between HMD 102 and peripheral device 106 using that pairingcode, or an indication thereof.

In addition, distributed SLAM module 403 may detect which handperipheral 106 belongs to, based on which half (right/left) of the SLAMframe it falls into (e.g., after user 101 is instructed to holdperipheral 106 with their arms in front of them).

In a first embodiment, pairing may be initiated by IR emitters mountedon HMD 102 after peripheral device 106 is detected in the SLAM feed.During this time, the number of peripherals—and which hand eachperipheral belongs to—may be determined as well. Once peripheral device106 receives a pairing code from HMD 102, it backchannels with HMD 102or IHS 103 via another communication channel (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi,etc.), and shares back the pairing code. If the activation code isaccepted by HMD 102 or IHS 103, the handshake process is complete andHMD 102 and peripheral device 106 become paired.

In a second embodiment, pairing may be initiated by peripheral device106 via an IR mounted thereon, and IHS 103 may detect a pairing codetransmitted by peripheral device 106, for example, upon activation of apairing button. During this time, the number of peripherals—and whichhand each peripheral belongs to—may be established. HMD 102 or IHS 103backchannels to the peripheral via another communication channel (e.g.,Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.), and shares back the pairing code. If theactivation code is accepted by peripheral device 106, the handshakeprocess is complete and HMD 102 and peripheral device 106 are nowpaired.

In various implementations, SLAM frame areas usable to identify whichperipheral device belongs to which hand may be dynamically and/orunequally split into different sizes, for example, depending upon adirection of the user's gaze and/or head tilt. These areas may berendered in real-time via the HMD 102's or IHS 103's displays during thepairing process.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of method 500 for providing controllergestures. In some embodiments, method 500 may be performed by xRapplication 401 in cooperation with distributed SLAM module 403 and/orgesture recognition module 404, under execution by IHS 103 coupled toHMD 102.

Method 500 begins at block 501. At block 502, controller(s) 106 arepaired with HMD 102 and/or IHS 103, and their locations in space aretracked by a tracking system, such as lighthouses, SLAM landmarks, etc.At block 503, all controllers 106 in the session are enumerated. Theuser may select, or the system may autonomously identify, where eachcontroller belongs to (i.e., which hand of each user).

A non-limiting example of a controller enumeration and tracking table(Table I) is shown below:

TABLE I Controller ID User Hand Location 106AR A R X_(AR), Y_(AR),Z_(AR) 106AL A L X_(AL), Y_(AL), Z_(AL) 106BR B R X_(BR), Y_(BR), Z_(BR)106BL B L X_(BL), Y_(BL), Z_(BL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 106NR N RX_(NR), Y_(NR), Z_(NR) 106NL N L X_(NL), Y_(NL), Z_(NL)

At block 504, method 500 determines, using the controllers' positions,whether any two or more controllers are within physical contact of eachother using a selected threshold distance (e.g., in inches). In responseto the threshold distance being met, block 505 listens to IMU stream(s)from the two or more controllers in close proximity of each other for avelocity or acceleration impulse having a minimum magnitude threshold.Such impulse may be detected, for example, when controllers come to asudden stop after moving towards each other, even in the absence of aphysical collision between them, as in a “simulated” tap.

Block 506 identifies, in response to the magnitude threshold being met,that a “tap” has been detected. Block 507 detects the type (e.g., fastor slow) and the 3D direction of tapping (e.g., vertical or horizontalorientation with respect to ground, moving towards each other or awayfrom each other, etc.). In various implementations, a controller'sorientation relative to the ground and/or to each other may beidentified via SLAM data, IMU feed, and/or any combination thereof.

For example, in some cases both controllers may be in a horizontalorientation with respect to the ground, resulting in the detection of afirst gesture. In other cases, both controllers may be in a verticalorientation with respect to the ground (e.g., FIG. 7C), resulting in thedetection of a second gesture. In yet other cases, a first one of thecontrollers may be in a horizontal orientation and the second one may bein a vertical orientation with respect to the ground, resulting in thedetection of a third gesture. In still other cases, the first one of thecontrollers may be in a vertical orientation and the second one may bein a horizontal orientation with respect to the ground, resulting in thedetection of a fourth gesture.

In some cases, both controllers may be moving toward each other,resulting in the detection of a first gesture. In other cases, eachcontroller may be moving away from the other one, resulting in thedetection of a second gesture. In yet other cases, a first controllermay be moving towards the second controller and the second controllermay be static, resulting in the detection of a third gesture. In stillother cases, the second controller may be moving towards the firstcontroller and the first controller may be static, resulting in thedetection of a fourth gesture.

Then, at block 508, method 500 performs an action (e.g., executes acommand) associated with the detected controller gesture, which may bedetermined, for example, by the type of tapping, relative movementbetween controllers, orientation with respect to the ground, and/or thelocation of the controllers 106 in a frame (e.g., a SLAM frame) at themoment of tapping.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of system 600 for enabling controllergestures. In this embodiment, HMD 102 sends SLAM frames to IHS 103, andIHS sends updated graphics to HMD 102 for display. Moreover, HMD 102detects controller 106 via a SLAM subsystem, or the like. HMD 102 alsoreceives an IMU data stream with gyroscope and/or accelerometer data viaa wireless communication channel (e.g., Bluetooth).

At block 601, HMD 102 receives IMU data from controller 106 and sharesit with a service, such as gesture recognition 404 and/or xR application401. Then, at block 602, the service may: (1) track the controllersand/or other peripheral devices that are in tapping distance from eachother, (2) detect tapping based on the IMU data, and (3) perform anassociated action based on pre-defined or user-selected controllergestures for a particular type or detected tap.

FIGS. 7A-C illustrate an example of a controller gesture 700A-C. In thisembodiment, the user's FOV (and/or the SLAM frame) 701 is logicallydivided into three distinct zones: left side 702L, center area 702C, andright side 702R. In this implementation, every stage of controllergesture 701-A-C takes place in center area 703C, because controllers 703and 704 are located by the user's HMD 102 in center area 702C.

But in other cases, one or more of controllers 703 and 704 may be in adifferent zone of FOV 701. Depending upon in which zone a givencontroller performs its tapping action, a different correspondingcommand may be triggered. Moreover, in some cases, controller 703 may beheld by a first user, and controller 704 may be held by a second user.Depending upon whether controllers 703 and 704 are held by the same useror by a different user, a different corresponding command may betriggered (e.g., switch artifacts, get a user in and out of an goingsession, etc.). These different commands may be stored in a Look-UpTable (LUT), database, or the like.

At stage 700B, controllers 703 and/or 704 come to a sudden stop, with orwithout actual physical contact between them, as handled by user 101.Then, at stage 700C, controllers 703 and 704 are spread apart, in thiscase, in a vertical orientation with respect to the ground. At themoment tapping is detected in sequence 700B, a corresponding command isexecuted by IHS 103 and/or HMD 102. Although in this example a tappinggesture is being used, in other cases other controller gestures may bedetected, such as, for example, pinching to zoom in and out, skippingmedia forward or backward, etc.

It should be understood that various operations described herein may beimplemented in software executed by logic or processing circuitry,hardware, or a combination thereof. The order in which each operation ofa given method is performed may be changed, and various operations maybe added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. It is intendedthat the invention(s) described herein embrace all such modificationsand changes and, accordingly, the above description should be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

As previously noted, certain implementations of the systems and methodsdescribed herein may not require an HMD. In those cases, a system mayinclude a processing unit (to perform SLAM), a camera coupled to theprocessor (e.g., looking into the room towards the users), and a displayalso coupled to the processor (e.g., showing an image of thecontrollers). These components may be packaged together, for example, asa notebook; or may be separately combined, for example, as a gamingconsole setup. As such, various component permutations may provide awide range of devices and systems configured to implement the techniquesdescribed herein.

Although the invention(s) is/are described herein with reference tospecific embodiments, various modifications and changes can be madewithout departing from the scope of the present invention(s), as setforth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figuresare to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense,and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scopeof the present invention(s). Any benefits, advantages, or solutions toproblems that are described herein with regard to specific embodimentsare not intended to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeature or element of any or all the claims.

Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used toarbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus,these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or otherprioritization of such elements. The terms “coupled” or “operablycoupled” are defined as connected, although not necessarily directly,and not necessarily mechanically. The terms “a” and “an” are defined asone or more unless stated otherwise. The terms “comprise” (and any formof comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any formof have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form ofinclude, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any formof contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linkingverbs. As a result, a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,”“has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those oneor more elements but is not limited to possessing only those one or moreelements. Similarly, a method or process that “comprises,” “has,”“includes” or “contains” one or more operations possesses those one ormore operations but is not limited to possessing only those one or moreoperations.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An Information Handling System (IHS),comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution,cause the IHS to: receive first Simultaneous Localization and Mapping(SLAM) landmarks corresponding to a first controller; receive secondSLAM landmarks corresponding to a second controller; determine whetherthe second controller belongs to a first user or to a second user basedupon an evaluation of the Kalman Gain of the second SLAM landmarks;determine, using the first and second SLAM landmarks, that the firstcontroller is within a threshold distance of the second controller; inresponse to the determination, receive first Inertial Measurement Unit(IMU) data from the first controller and second IMU data from the secondcontroller; identify, using the first and second IMU data, a gestureperformed with the first and second controllers; and execute a commandassociated with the gesture.
 2. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the firstand second SLAM landmarks are received from a Head-Mounted Device (HMD)worn by a user.
 3. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the first SLAM landmarksare received from a first Head-Mounted Device (HMD) worn by a first userand wherein the second SLAM landmarks are received from a second HMDworn by a second user.
 4. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond IMU data comprise accelerometer data indicative of an impulse orcollision.
 5. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the gesture comprises atapping gesture.
 6. The IHS of claim 5, wherein the tapping gesture isdetected in the absence of a physical collision between the first andsecond controllers.
 7. The IHS of claim 5, wherein the programinstructions, upon execution, further cause the IHS to identify thetapping gesture as a vertical tap or a horizontal tap.
 8. The IHS ofclaim 1, wherein in response to the gesture being detected in a leftside of a SLAM frame, the command is a first command, wherein inresponse to the gesture being detected in a center area of the SLAMframe, the command is a second command, or wherein in response to thegesture being detected in a right side of a SLAM frame, the command is athird command.
 9. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the command comprisesswitching tools between the first and second controllers in a game. 10.The IHS of claim 1, wherein the command comprises switching tools orcharacters in a game between a first user operating the first controllerand a second user operating the second controller.
 11. The IHS of claim1, wherein the command comprises a pause command or a resume commanddirected to a game or application executed by the IHS.
 12. The IHS ofclaim 1, wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further causethe IHS to determine whether a peripheral belongs to the user's lefthand or right hand.
 13. The IHS of claim 12, wherein to determinewhether the peripheral device belongs to the user's left hand or righthand, the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the IHSto: split a Field-of-View (FOV) of a Head-Mounted Device (HMD) into aleft side and a right side; and at least one of: in response to one ormore SLAM landmarks being located on the left side, assign theperipheral device to the user's left hand; or in response to one or moreSLAM landmarks being located on the right side, assign the peripheraldevice to the user's right hand.
 14. A hardware memory device havingprogram instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a processorof an Information Handling System (IHS), cause the IHS to: receive, froma first Head-Mounted Device (HMD) worn by a first user, one or morefirst Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) landmarkscorresponding to a first controller; receive, from a second Head-MountedDevice (HMD) worn by a second user one or more second SLAM landmarkscorresponding to a second controller; determine, using the first andsecond SLAM landmarks, that the first controller is within a thresholddistance of the second controller; in response to the determination,receive first Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data from the firstcontroller and second IMU data from the second controller, wherein thefirst IMU data comprise accelerometer data produced by a third HMD wornby a third user, and wherein the first and third HMDs are incommunication with each other; identify, using the first and second IMUdata, a gesture performed with the first and second controllers; andexecute a command associated with the gesture.
 15. A method, comprising:receiving, at an Information Handling System (IHS), first SimultaneousLocalization and Mapping (SLAM) landmarks corresponding to a firstcontroller, wherein the first SLAM landmarks comprise location dataindicative of a position of the first controller; receiving, at the IHS,second SLAM landmarks corresponding to a second controller, wherein thesecond SLAM landmarks comprise location data indicative of a position ofthe second controller; identifying, by the IHS using: (i) the first SLAMlandmarks, (ii) the second SLAM landmarks, (iii) first InertialMeasurement Unit (IMU) data, and (iv) second IMU data, a gestureperformed with the first and second controllers, wherein the first andsecond IMU data comprise accelerometer data indicative of a simulatedtap between the first and second controllers; and executing, by the IHS,a command associated with the gesture.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the first SLAM landmarks are received from a first Head-MountedDevice (HMD) worn by a first user and wherein the second SLAM landmarksare received from a second HMD worn by a second user.